St Crispin's Day
by NewlyHooked
Summary: Jules and Sam are enjoying a rare weekend off, when something goes horribly wrong. Will they make it through?
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own the Flashpoint series or characters, and I make no representations or demands to those rights. But I do own the storyline. **

**First time writing FanFic, and recently hooked on the series. I hope you like it! Comments are always welcome!**

**St. Crispin's Day**

Jules and Sam arose from restaurant table.

"I need to take a moment." Jules said, as she turned towards the ladies room.

"Sure." Same replied. "I'll get the car".

Jules nodded as she headed for the ladies room, still in a daze from the dinner conversation. She and Sam had been enjoying their meal, quietly celebrating the approval they received for their relationship from the SRU and upper management. During the meal, Sam had surprised her by asking her to marry him. Speechless, Jules was unable to give an answer immediately.

"Jules? Did you hear me?" Sam asked, a worried expression on his face.

Jules stared at Sam in shock. The question was so unexpected. They had been so focused on getting through the most recent hot call, Jules' recovery from the wound she took at the bio lab, and worrying about who would have to leave Team One if they couldn't get approval for their relationship. Talk about marriage was the furthest thing from their mind. Or so she thought.

"Sam… this is all so sudden." Jules replied after finding her voice. "We should talk about this."

Sam looked down at the table, crestfallen. "Forget it." He said.

Jules reached out to Sam and took his hand in hers. "Sam, that wasn't a 'No'. I just can't give an answer right now. It's so sudden. Can I have some time to think about it?"

Sam looked at Jules, hope sparking in his eyes. "Sure Jules. Take your time. But know that I am serious about this. I will wait for your answer, but please, don't take too long!"

Jules smiled gently at him. He took her breath away with his boyish good looks. They finished their meal, chatting quietly about their plans for the rest of the weekend. It was rare for them to get an entire weekend off, and they wanted to make the most of the down time.

"Excuse me". A woman's voice broke through Jules' reverie. Jules stepped aside and allowed the woman to approach the sink to wash her hands. Jules finished drying her hands and headed for the restaurant exit.

Jules emerged from the restaurant and paused on the sidewalk, looking for Sam. The evening was clear, with crisp October air. Not seeing Sam, Jules turned towards the parking lot. She saw the car, still in the space they had parked it in, but it wasn't running and she couldn't see Sam.

"Sam?" she called as she approached the car. He wasn't in the front seat, so she assumed that perhaps he had returned to the restaurant to use the men's room. She turned to look towards the restaurant to watch for him, when someone grabbed her from behind. A cloth was placed over her face, and she could smell something sweet on the cloth just before she lost consciousness.

* * *

Awareness of the world returned slowly. Sam had a pounding headache, probably from getting hit over the head while on the way to retrieve the car from the parking lot. He carefully opened his eyes, trying to identify where he was. His hands were bound behind his back with what felt like zip ties. He was crammed into a tight space. _A trunk?_ He thought. His suspicions were confirmed when the car hit a bump in the road and he was thrown against the roof of the trunk. There was a pale glow of light from the safety release on the trunk lid, but there was no way for him to reach the release to open the trunk.

Sam carefully felt around behind him, as well as he could with his hands bound. Aside from the spare tire, the trunk was empty. He checked his back pocket, where he usually kept a small knife for emergencies. The knife was gone. The car hit another bump, and Sam groaned when his head bounced against the roof of the trunk.

_Jules!_ He thought frantically. _She won't know what happened to me. I hope she's all right._ He thought about Jules and knew what she would do once she realized Sam was missing. She would contact the SRU, and the team would start working on locating him.

Sam realized the car had come to a stop, but the engine was still running. Suddenly, the trunk lid opened, and Sam was blinded by a bright light shining down from a parking lot floodlight. He briefly made out a dark silhouette standing over him. Then a cloth was held over his mouth and nose, and he sank back into oblivion.

* * *

"Are you awake?"

The voice came out of the darkness. Sam groaned softly. His head ached, and his arms were cramping from being bound behind him. He was lying on his side on what felt like hard-packed dirt or concrete. A boot prodded him gently in the stomach.

"I said – are…you…awake?"

The boot returned, this time less gently, forcing the air out of Sam's lungs and bringing him to full awareness.

"Yes" Sam replied, coughing and gasping from the blow. He fought for breath and opened his eyes to get his bearings. He saw nothing but darkness and realized he had been blindfolded.

"Yes" he coughed again, a little louder this time. He struggled to sit up.

"Good" the male voice said gruffly. A hand grabbed him by the back of the neck. "Water", the voice said, holding a cup to his lips. Sam drank carefully, his headache increased two-fold now that he was sitting up.

"I'm sure you have the mother of all headaches." The voice said. The hand left Sam's neck, and he heard the man moving away from him.

"As long as you behave, your headache should be the worst of what you get. But if you don't behave and follow directions, I can't guarantee your continued good health."

"What do you want?" Sam asked. His captor paused in his pacing. Sam sensed that he turned to face his captive before answering.

"What I want is for you to behave. That means not causing me any trouble, no matter what you see or hear. If you misbehave, then you'll be punished." The footsteps came closer. Sam tensed, sensing his captor was leaning down towards him. "You won't like the punishment, I assure you. It will be suitable to your crime."

"Crime?" Sam asked, trying to make sense of what his captor was saying. His head was still pounding, and he had a horrible taste in his mouth, despite the water. "What crime?"

Sam was cuffed on the side of head, hard enough to cause him to fall over on to his side. Then he was grabbed roughly, and dragged back to a sitting position. Nausea struck him in a wave.

"Rule number 1: You don't get to ask the questions." His captor said in a quiet but dangerous voice. "I know what you do for a living. So remember this – you aren't with your team. You aren't on a hot call. There's no Sierra One to watch your back." _Sierra One!_ Sam thought. _This man knows how the Team works!_

"When I want you to know something, I will tell you" the man stated. Releasing Sam and walking away from him. Sam heard a door close, and footsteps receding up wooden stairs. He sat in the darkness, waiting for his head to stop pounding, and trying to think up a strategy to escape.


	2. Chapter 2

"Sam?" Jules called softly, waking slowly. Reality broke slowly through the fog of the drug used on her. She was bound with her hands behind her, blindfolded, and lying on her side on what felt like a carpet. "Sam?" she said more loudly.

"Sam's not here right now" said a voice from behind her. Jules went completely still, trying to identify the voice. It was familiar, but she couldn't place it.

"Do I know you?" Jules asked the stranger, turning her head towards the voice. The blindfold effectively blocked out all light, forcing her to rely on her hearing to identify where the person was.

"You should", said the voice. "We've met - many, many times."

Jules tried desperately to identify the voice, but to no avail. "Where have we met?" She asked, trying to get the captor to continue talking.

Her captor chuckled quietly. Jules was puzzled. She tried to think through the fog in her head, trying to make sense of the situation. _Sam will be looking for me._ She thought. _He will have pulled the Team together and started to look for me. _Jules held on to that thought, a light of hope in her darkness.

Her captor moved around her in the room, and she turned her head to follow the noise. Suddenly, he kicked her in the stomach, just hard enough to knock the wind out of her. She gasped for air, and pulled her knees up to protect her stomach.

"Let's get this straight – there will be no attempt to negotiate with me." The man said close to her ear with menace in his voice. "There's no Team here to help you. There's no weapons, no protective gear. It's just you and me."

"What do you want?" Jules asked quietly.

"I want you to know what you did to me. What you did to my career. You ruined my life. And I am going to make sure that you pay for everything you have done to me."

Jules frantically tried to identify the voice, but to no avail. _Sam, hurry up and find me!_ She thought. She flexed her arms, testing her bonds. The man grabbed her bound wrists and pulled them up and away from her, putting strain on her shoulders. She exclaimed in pain.

"Let's get something straight, Peanut. I am in control here." He pulled on her wrists again, causing Jules to arch her back in a vain attempt to relieve the pain and pressure on her shoulders. "Do you understand?"

"Yes" breathed Jules.

"Good." The man said, suddenly releasing her hands. "For now, I will let you sleep. I'm sure you need it."

Jules was left in darkness again, listening to the man leave the room. She lay on the carpet, trying to make sense of the situation, and trying to identify her captor.

* * *

Sam had no idea how much time had passed since he had awoken. His headache had slowly receded and was nearly gone. He had managed to snag the blindfold on something on the wall behind him, and was able to get it off. He was still in darkness, but a small line of light that came through what he thought was a window told him he was underground, perhaps in a cellar. His legs were not bound, but his shoes and socks had been removed. He had managed to get to his feet and was exploring his location.

The room he was in was oddly shaped. It seemed like it made something of an 'L' shape. The walls were rough, like stone. The floor was old concrete, cracked and crumbling in some places. He moved over to the small line of light to try to see out but he could see nothing but clouds. It was very quiet, with no background noises to help him identify his location.

He could hear someone moving around above his head. Heavy footsteps crossed the floor above him and were followed by steps on the stairs that he assumed gave access to the cellar he was in. A line of light appeared under what must be a door. Sam moved quickly to stand beside the door, hoping he was on the side that the door swung to, in order to provide him some cover from the captor and allow him a chance to attack and get away.

The door opened, and Sam was hidden from view by the panel. His captor paused in the doorway, allowing the light from the staircase to light the cellar. Sam forced himself to breathe slowly. It would be hard to take this man down with his hands tied behind his back, but he was going to try. He bent his knees and shifted his weight to the balls of his feet.

His captor swore softly, and then suddenly forced the door fully open, nearly trapping Sam behind the wood panel. Sam slipped to the side to avoid being hit by it. Taking advantage of his captor's momentary pause as he tried to locate Sam within the cellar, Sam shifted his weight and then charged forward, intending to bury his shoulder into his captor's stomach and knock the man off balance.

His captor swiftly sidestepped Sam, and Sam overbalanced into the cellar, away from the stairs. His captor came up to him from behind, and grabbed Sam by his bound wrists. His foot snaked out and swept Sam's legs out from under him. Sam fell heavily face down on to the cellar floor, with his captor landing on top of him. The sudden pressure on his arms told him that the man had pulled his bound hands away from his body. The pressure was suddenly gone and replaced with a knee planted firmly in the small of Sam's back. The captor grasped the back of Sam's head and slowly pulled his head back, forcing Sam's back to arch painfully.

"Aaaaaaaahhhh!" Sam cried out. His attacker slammed his head into the floor, and Sam saw stars from the impact.

"I expected more from a former commando." His captor said sarcastically.

Sam felt himself being lifted and scrambled to get his feet under him. His captor kept him off balance, pushing him towards the wall farthest from the door. Sam caught a glimpse of chains on the wall just before his captor slammed him into the wall, knocking the wind out of him. He fell to his knees, stunned. He heard the chains move, and Sam found himself shackled by the chains to the wall. Hobbles were put on his ankles, preventing him from being able to move his legs more than two feet apart. Sam could sit or stand, but he had very little room to move.

"Let me show you what I can do with these chains." His captor said. Sam heard a click, and suddenly his hands were being pulled above his head, leaving his torso completely exposed. He was stretched to his fullest height on the balls of his feet, hanging from his wrists.

"I can make it very unpleasant for you." A fist connected with Sam's ribs and he grunted with the impact. Desperately sucking wind in, Sam raised his head in hopes of being able to see his captor. He was met by a punch to his face, rocking his head back into the wall behind him. Sam's knees went weak, and he was suspended by his arms. He was dazed, fighting to stay conscious. His captor struck him again in the ribs. Then he raised Sam's head and evaluated his condition.

"I think I've made my point." The man said lightly as he let Sam's head fall to his chest and moved away from Sam. Sam heard a click and the chains were made slack. Sam fell to his knees on the floor.

"Rule number two:" he said sternly, "don't try to escape or attack me. Try to remember that."

His captor left the cellar, extinguishing the light in the hallway. Sam was left in the dark again except for that one tiny line of light in the window across from him.

"Jules." He whispered into the dark.


	3. Chapter 3

Jules had worked herself into a corner of the room she was in. There was carpet on the floor but as far as she could tell there was no furniture in the room. She had been rubbing her head on the carpet to dislodge the blindfold when she heard a muffled cry from somewhere below her. She paused, lifting her head to listen. She heard a mechanical sound, like something rattling, and then silence again.

_Was there someone else captive in the house?_ She thought. After a short interval the mechanical sound was repeated, and followed by silence a second time.

Jules could feel warmth on one of her feet. It felt like sunlight, so she guessed it was some time on Sunday. She had been taken after dinner Saturday night. She knew it was a matter of time before Sam and the Team found her, so she forced herself to stay calm. She started thinking to herself about what she knew about her captor and her surroundings. Because she had been unconscious, she didn't know how long they drove for before coming to this place. The only noises she could hear outside the house were birds singing, so she guessed that she was no longer within the city. If it _was_ Sunday, they couldn't be more than a couple hours outside the city. If it was Monday, the Team would already be aware that she was missing and would be mobilized to find her.

Footsteps approached the room she was in, breaking her from her thoughts. Jules pushed herself to her feet by leveraging herself against the wall. _Whatever is going to happen, I'll meet it standing up._ She thought to herself.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" The voice came from across the room. "Little Miss has found her feet."

Jules turned her head in the direction of the voice. "Who are you? What is it that you want with me?" she demanded.

"All in good time," He replied. "After all, we have the rest of the weekend together. After that, well... that will depend on you."

_So it's Sunday. _Jules thought as she shifted to the side, sensing that the man was approaching her. He spoke quietly into her ear, and she turned her head away, trying to avoid contact. "You think you are such a hot shit, don't you? A member of the SRU. Team One, even! So impressive!" His sarcasm was not masked by his low voice.

"I earned my place. And I work every day to keep it." Jules replied.

Her captor chuckled. "Yes, I bet you do." He said. "But you think you are so much better than me? Hmmm?"

Jules withdrew as far from the man as she could, but was hampered by the wall behind her. She attempted to shift to her left, but was stopped by another wall. She was cornered.

"I don't think I'm better than anyone." she replied.

"Oh, but I know differently." He said. "I see you out there, acting all tough, trying to keep up with the big boys."

"It's my job. That's all."

"Your job." he responded derisively. "If I had a nickel for each time I heard that." He moved suddenly, grabbing Jules by the throat and pushing her back into the wall. "Do you know what you took from me?" He shakes her. "Do you?"

Jules brought her knee up, hoping to catch him in the groin. With her hands tied, she is at a distinct disadvantage. She connects with his body, but she can tell she missed the mark. He responded by backhanding her. She spun into the corner, her face buried in the wall. Before she can catch her breath, he spun her back to face him.

"That was stupid." he says. Then he yanks her forward into the room, tripping her. She stumbles and falls, landing heavily on her shoulder. She scrambles to get her knees under her. As she is trying to rise, he kicks her just below the ribs. She collapses onto her side, gasping for breath. The blindfold has slipped a little, and she can just make out his location. She kicks out, hoping to catch him in the knee. He steps out of the way of her kick, and then rushes in. He forces her to her feet, and rushes her into the wall. Her head hits something and she is dazed. She falls to her knees, her cheek against the wall.

"Well, that's better." He says. "Not so tough now, are you? I like it when Little Miss Peanut is quiet and docile. "

Jules' mind is spinning. _Peanut. Little Miss. Little Miss Peanut._ She thinks. _Why does he keep calling me that? And where did I hear that before? Sam, where are you?_ Jules becomes aware that he has leaned in closely to her ear again, this time from behind her. Before he can speak, she throws her head back and feels the back of her head connect with his nose. _Good - I hope it's broken!_ She thinks.

He cries out in pain. "You little bitch!" he says. He grabs her and forces her to stand. He spins her towards him, and the blindfold slips a little more. She is able to see that he is about Sam's height, with dark, close cut hair. The last thing she sees is his fist.

* * *

Sam wakes suddenly, realizing he had dozed off. The line of light he could see has gone, so he decides it must be night time. _Sunday? Monday? What time is it?_ Sam ponders. _If it is Sunday night, then the team will know for sure that I'm missing in a couple hours, unless Jules has already gotten to them._ The realization that Jules might think he took off to sulk after her non-answer hits him. _For all I know, she could be sitting at home, thinking I'm just off somewhere, feeling sorry for myself._

The lights suddenly come on in the cellar, blinding him with their brightness. His captor enters the cellar and silently crosses the cellar to where Sam is kneeling.

"Well, it's nice to see you're awake." he says. "Water". The man holds a bottle of water out to Sam, so that Sam can take it. Sam stands carefully, giving his arms enough slack to take the bottle and drink from it.

"I have a surprise for you. But you'll have to be really good before I give it to you." The man tips Sam's chin up so that he can look into Sam's eyes. "Can you do that, Sam? Be really good?"

Sam looks his captor directly in the eyes, but says nothing.

"At least you can hold your tongue when you need to." The man says. "I know you have a reputation for mouthing off and saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. How you ever got onto Team One, I will never understand... But wait! I remember now. Your _Daddy_ got you in. How does it feel to be beholden to Daddy?"

"You leave him out of this!" Sam replies angrily. "You don't know anything about it!"

"Oh, but I do! How little Sammy decided he didn't want to play soldier any more. So he tried to quit. Instead, his Daddy makes a phone call and little Sammy finds himself fast-tracked onto Team One. No trials. No tests." He moves closer to Sam. Sam can see that his nose looks recently broken. "So why didn't you leave when you could? Hmmm? Perhaps you found something there that you didn't have elsewhere? Maybe a little piece of brunette tail?"

"Maybe I found my real family!" Sam retorted. _Jules? What's she got to do with this?_

"Maybe I found my real family!" he mimicked derisively. Walking away from Sam, he turned and looked at him. "Tell me something, Sam. Do you think you would have passed the tests and made it in on your own? Did you _earn_ your place?"

"What is it that you want? Huh?" Sam demanded. "Tell me, and maybe I can get it for you."

"Well, well. So little Sammy learned something playing in the big boy's pool, eh?" The man rushed forward to Sam, until they were nose to nose. The fierce look in his eye reminded Sam of Ed when Ed was at his most focused. "What I want from you, _Samuel_, is nothing you are willing to give. Tell me... did your pretty little girlfriend accept your proposal? Hmm?"

Sam clenched his teeth and glared at his captor. "Oh, that's sad. Little Sammy can't even get someone to marry him on his own... Maybe you should ask _Daddy_ for some help!"

Sam's captor stalked away, laughing. Sam threw the half empty water bottle at him, but missed.

"You may come to regret that." His captor said. Then he closed the door, leaving Sam locked in the darkness.

Sam thought long and hard about the conversation. He decided that his captor was exhibiting jealousy about his position within Team One. Why else would he spend so much time deriding him and talking about his father and how he got on the team? _How did he know about the proposal?_ _Jules! Where are you?_

* * *

Something woke Jules some time later. The blindfold had been replaced and she was now bound hand and foot. There was no way to know what time it was, but she knew it had to be hours later based on her thirst. Her body ached all over, particularly her head. She was lying on her stomach, her hands bound behind her.

Carefully, Jules brought her knees into her stomach, giving her the leverage to get into a kneeling position. She tried to dislodge the blindfold again, but it felt as if it had been taped on. She listened carefully to the sounds of the house, but she heard nothing. _What woke me?_

Suddenly, she heard soft footsteps coming towards her. She turned her head towards the sound.

"Did you have a nice nap?" the voice asked her.

"What time is it?" Jules replied.

"It's late. But not late enough. Don't worry, we have plenty of time together yet."

Jules felt a hand come down on her shoulder and flinched away. It grabbed her more forcefully. "Drink. It's water. I don't want you claiming I was _inhumane_ or anything." The mouth of a bottle was put to her lips and Jules drank, the water soothing her parched throat.

"That's enough." The man said, standing and moved away from her. Jules stayed quiet and still, hoping her captor would leave her alone, or start to tell her what he wanted.

"You know," he started, "I wanted to be SRU; to be on Team One. I wanted to wear the cool pants."

"Why didn't you try for it, then?" Jules responded, hoping to make a connection with him that she could use to negotiate out of this situation.

"What makes you think I didn't?" he said. Jules didn't answer, choosing a shrug instead. "The reality is I _did_ try out. And I would have made it too. But something happened and I lost my chance."

Jules searched for something to say to keep the conversation going. "What happened?"

"Oh, I think you know." He replied. Jules was puzzled. She was pretty sure she knew this man from somewhere, but she couldn't connect him with any of her memories of the SRU.

She could hear the man moving. It sounded as though he were pacing.

"I don't know." She replied. "Why don't you tell me?"

The sounds of his pacing ceased. There was a long silence. Jules tried to keep her breathing steady and calm, hoping to make that all important connection with her captor.

"You and I competed at the same time for the spot on the SRU. The spot that _you_ got. The spot that I should have had!" His voice betrayed his anger. "And because of you, I lost that spot. Because of you, I lost my chance."

Jules realized that she was dealing with a police officer.

"I just competed for the spot, like everyone else." Jules replied quietly. "I was not the one who made the final decision who got in and who didn't."

"Maybe so, but you obviously did something to get in. After all, this is a man's world. You're just a peanut of a woman. I can do everything better than you. I'm stronger, faster, _smarter_ than you." The sound of his footsteps came closer to her. Jules fought the instinct to curl up into a ball to protect herself. She had to keep him talking; keep him from lashing out.

"So tell me, Jules." He said, the tone of his voice oozing contempt. "Just what did you do that was so special to make them choose you over me? Because it couldn't just have been that you are a woman."

"I can't answer that." Jules replied. "I am not the one who made the decision. Perhaps you should ask him? His name is Sergeant Greg Parker."

"I know who he is." Her captor said dismissively.

"Well, then you know he has the final say."

There was momentary silence in the room. A thump sounded from somewhere below the floor Jules was lying on. Her captor swore softly. Suddenly, Jules felt his hands grabbing her bound ankles. She kicked out blindly at him. He cuffed her on the side of her head, and she lay still. She felt the bindings on her ankles cut, and was roughly pulled to her feet.

"Well, I hadn't planned this surprise until the morning, but it looks like my hand is being forced." He said. "Let's go for a walk."

With that, he propelled Jules from the room. By the feel of the floors under her bare feet, they left the carpeted room and entered a hallway or room with linoleum flooring. She was shoved roughly against a wall as he worked a lock on a door. The door was opened and he pulled her to the side and then propelled her forward. She stumbled when she realized there was no floor below her foot. _Stairs!_ Jules thought, just before she fell forward down the stairs. She heard the door close above and behind her, but no steps on the stairs. He must have stayed upstairs.

Jules tried to take stock of her surroundings. She was lying on a cold floor, maybe concrete. There was a lot of grit on the floor. It dug into her cheek. She wasn't hurt too badly from the fall, she thought. Just bruises, although her ankle may have been twisted when she first tried to recover at the top of the stairs. She knew she had to get off the floor. With the cold, the clothes she was wearing wouldn't be sufficient to keep her warm. She shifted to her side and started working her hands down below her butt, to try to get them in front of her. It was a painful process, her sore ribs protesting the exertion. Finally she succeeded in getting her bound hands in front of her and managed to roll onto her knees.

After pausing a moment to allow the various aches in her to quiet, Jules climbed to her feet. She staggered a little, off balance on her sore ankle, and fell against a rough stone wall. _A cellar. I must be in a cellar._ She thought. She carefully removed the blindfold, feeling the tug of the tape that her captor used. Once the blindfold was off, she opened her eyes. The cellar was pitch-dark and she could not see anything. She let herself slide down the wall until she was sitting. She leaned against the wall for a time, regaining her breath and willing the pain to recede.

While she was trying to decide on her next steps, she dozed, dreaming that she heard Sam's voice calling to her.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam heard the door to the cellar open. He stopped pulling on the chains. He had been trying to work the chains free from the mechanism that held him. He had miscalculated at one point and there was a loud thump. His captor must have heard the sound and come to check on him. Sam quickly assumed a pose that made it appear he was asleep and hoped the captor would think the thump he heard was Sam falling forward against the chains in his sleep.

There was a noise, as if something were thrown into the cellar. Sam held his breath, listening carefully. The door closed, but Sam didn't think the captor had come into the cellar. He didn't hear the telltale footsteps on the stairs, and there was no light. Sam started to relax, when he heard a sound in the darkness. It sounded like something was moving. Sam turned his head towards the sound when he heard a soft groan. He knew there was someone in the cellar with him. But who was it?

After what seemed an eternity, Sam heard the other person moving on the other side of the cellar. He waited until the movement stopped, and quietly called out.

"Who's there?" There was no response.

_So, I'm not alone any longer._ He thought. _But who else is here with me? Is it another captive? Or is it the captor, having fallen into his own trap?_ Sam didn't want to think about the latter option. If his captor was now a prisoner, it didn't bode well for him. He continued trying to quietly free himself from his chains. He couldn't see anything in the dark, so he had to do everything by feel.

He tried to leverage himself up, hoping to free his hands from whatever might be holding them against the chains, but the chains to his hands seemed to be one long chain, it's center being somewhere within the strange mechanism that was used to force him to his toes. He traced the chains as they extended above his head, but the ceiling was too high for him to be able to feel the mechanism that restrained him.

He let out an exasperated sigh and knelt down. He couldn't reach his ankles to try to remove the hobbles because of the length of the chains. _Maybe if I roll onto my back and make like a turtle… _He thought to himself. Unfortunately, the chains on his arms were not long enough to let him pull this maneuver. By curling up into a ball, he was able to get his legs close to his chest, but he still couldn't reach his ankles. He knelt again on the floor and let his head rest against the wall behind him, the chains keeping his hands above his shoulders.

_What a sight this must be. _Sam thought to himself. _It must look like something out of some medieval movie – prisoners in a dungeon!_ The he shook himself free of that thought. In those movies, most of the chained prisoners were waiting for the king's torturer or his executioner. Not a pleasant thought, under the circumstances.

After a time, Sam dozed off, exhausted.

* * *

Jules woke, her legs cramping from the position she had settled into when she fell asleep. It was still very dark in the cellar, but there was a faint gray light coming through a window, high up on the far wall. She got to her feet and started a slow, careful shuffle towards the light. Her ankle had swollen in the night and was incredibly painful. She revised her initial though about it being twisted. _Sprained, at least._ She thought._ Maybe broken?_ She bumped it on something in the dark and let out a small cry of pain. Then she heard chains rattle.

"Who's there?" said a voice from the darkness. An icy chill went through Jules. _No… please…_

"S-sam?"

"Jules? Is that you? Are you OK?" Sam's voice came from a space somewhere to her right. Jules limped towards the voice.

"Keep talking. I'm coming to you." Jules said quietly.

Sam called to her, encouraging her progress. "I'm right here. I'm against the wall. I can see a tiny bit of light from a window almost directly opposite me."

Jules got her bearings on his voice and that bit of information. She moved towards Sam's voice, holding her bound hands in front of her. She felt the wall. "Where are you?" she said.

"Here. I'm here." Sam replied from Jules' left. She slowly worked her way down the wall. Her hands found his ribs and he hissed in pain.

"Sam!" Jules exclaimed. "What? How?"

"Shhh…." Sam said. "Are you ok?"

"I've been better. I think my ankle may be sprained or broken." Jules replied. Tears came to her eyes, but she didn't know if they were from relief, pain, or fear. "Are you ok?"

Sam could hear the tears in Jules' voice. He wished he could reach around her and hold her. But the chains prevented that. "I'm ok. A little beat up. My ribs are a bit sore. This guy likes a punching bag." He felt Jules' hands on his chest. The chains allowed him enough slack to put his hands over hers.

"Any idea what this is all about?" He asked her.

"Something about his not getting into the SRU. Apparently he went up for the vacancy at the same time I did, and he doesn't appreciate being beaten out by a woman for the position." Jules paused. "Sam. This guy is a police officer."

Sam swore softly. "He was watching us at the restaurant. He knows I proposed to you. And he knows how I came to the team."

"Ok, so we know he's a police officer." Jules started running down what they knew about their captor. "He has a grudge against me because I made it onto the SRU and he didn't. He came off very angry and sexist to me when I was still upstairs. He kept saying he was smarter, stronger, and better than me."

"He was very critical of my being on the team as well." Sam supplied. "He sounded offended about my father intervening to get me on the team and acted as if I hadn't earned my place on the team since then."

"He kept telling me that his opportunity on the SRU wasn't the only thing he lost because of me." Jules said quietly. She tilted her head up towards Sam, just being able to make out his shape in the gloom. Dawn was breaking outside. "Sam, I barely remember this guy. He says he was in the same candidate flight as me, but I don't remember him."

"Did you get a look at him?" Sam asked. "Maybe if you saw him you would recognize him.

Jules shook her head. "No. I was blindfolded the whole time until I was thrown down here."

Sam reluctantly asked his next question. "Jules, did he… try anything?"

"No." Jules' response was lightning-quick. "He was more interested in pushing me around." Her quick intake of breath reminded Sam that Jules' ankle was injured.

Sam was relieved. "Let's get you off that ankle. Come, sit down next to me." Jules moved to Sam's right, and he heard her slide down the wall. He knelt down beside her, and then shifted to a sitting position. His arms were almost fully extended over his head. She heard the chains moving.

"Sam?"

"Chains. Both wrists. And my legs are hobbled." He heard Jules shift behind him, and her hands fell on his leg. She moved them down his leg until she reached his ankle. "Feels like standard leg irons. If I can find a wire or something, I might be able to pick them." She moved closer to him, and he felt her hands on his chest. She followed his ribcage until she got to his shoulder. He heard her stand so she could reach his wrist. She felt around the chains on his wrist.

"These are going to be a bigger challenge. They are secured with a combination lock. Like the kind you would use on a bike chain. I can't pick these."

"Well, we're not going anywhere for a while. Maybe you can guess the combos."

"The team will know soon that we're missing. They'll find us." Jules said. She eased herself back to a sitting position next to Sam. "We just have to wait it out."

"Yeah." Sam said, returning to a kneeling position to ease his arms. "It's just a matter of time."


	5. Chapter 5

Ed moved through the SRU with confidence, heading towards the locker room. "Morning, Winnie." He said, greeting the team dispatcher.

"Good Morning, Ed." Winnie replied. "There's coffee in the briefing room."

"Thanks. Have a good one."

Ed entered the locker room and greeted Spike and Wordy. "Gentlemen. Another day to keep the peace."

"Hey, Ed." Spike replied.

"Spike was just regaling me with his hot weekend. Carving pumpkins with your Mom, was it?" Wordy moved quickly away from Spike's swipe of a towel. Ed chuckled.

The three finished changing into their uniforms and headed to the briefing room. Hot coffee was waiting for them. Sgt. Parker entered the room, greeting them all with his usual reserve.

"Good Monday morning, team." Greg looked up and noticed the missing team members. "Anyone seen Sam and Jules?"

"Not yet." said Spike. "Maybe they overslept after their weekend alone together." Spike made a silly face, raising his eyebrows repeatedly. Ed shot Spike a look that said Spike should get serious. Wordy just shook his head.

Greg looked at the clock. 9:30. An hour late. "Spike, see if you can get hold of them."

Spike left the room, already dialing Sam's cell phone number. It rang, and then went to voicemail. He hung up and called Jules' cell. No answer.

"Hey Boss, neither of them are answering their cells." Spike reported.

"'K." Greg replied, walking towards Winnie's station. "Winnie, see if you can contact Jules or Sam at their home numbers." Winnie nods and immediately dials the phone. After a few moments, Jules' phone shifts to voicemail.

"No answer at Jules' number." Winnie leaves a message after the beep directing Jules to contact the SRU immediately. She immediately dials Sam's home number, but has the same result. She leaves a message for him as well. "No answer at Sam's."

Greg taps his fist on the desk. "Ok, thanks. Keep trying their cells, would you?"

"Sure." Winnie replies. Greg walks back to the briefing room.

"Boss?" Spike asks. Greg shakes his head. "OK." He says. "Spike, see if you can locate their cell phones." Spike heads to a computer terminal and starts tapping the keys.

"Ed, head over to their homes. See if they just slept in."

"Copy that." Ed replied. "Wordy, you're with me." Ed and Wordy head out to the garage.

"Boss." Spike says. "I can't find their phones. Either of them."

"What, they're switched off?" Greg asks.

Spike shakes his head. "No this is more like their phones don't exist. I'm checking the last known location the phones pinged from." Spike tapped steadily on the keyboard. "It looks like the last ping was near the corner of Wellington Street West and Draper Street on Saturday night."

"Ok Spike, you're with me." Greg says, heading for the garage. "Winnie, were heading out to their last known location. Keep trying their phones, and keep us updated."

"Will do." Winnie replies.

Greg and Spike head towards Wellington Street West. Ed's voice comes across the radio. "Boss, no joy at Sam's or Jules' homes. Jules' car was at her house, but there is no sign of Sam's car at either home."

"Copy that, Ed." Greg replies. "Head over to my location."

"On our way." Ed says. Spike turns the car onto Wellington Street West and heads towards Draper Street.

"Pull in here." Greg says, pointing at a parking lot next to a bistro style restaurant. Spike drives into the restaurant parking lot.

"The restaurant?" Spike asks.

"Saturday night date." Greg replies, heading towards the restaurant entrance. Spike follows quickly. They enter the restaurant and head towards the kitchen.

"Can I help you?" A woman's voice comes from behind them. Greg turns and faces the woman.

"Are you the manager here?"

"Yes, I am."

"Were you working on Saturday night?"

"Yes, I was here." The woman replies. "What is this about?"

Spike shows the woman his phone, a photo of Jules displayed on the screen. "Was this woman here Saturday night? Perhaps with a blond man?"

The woman studies the image on the phone. "Yes, she was here. She was accompanied by a tall blond man. They looked like a couple."

"Do you remember what time they might have left?"

"I think it was about 10PM. We were getting ready to close for the evening."

"Good." Greg says. "Did they seem to be ok when they left?"

"They seemed fine." She replied. "He left first, while she used the ladies room. She left shortly after."

"Did you happen to see what direction they went in?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"Ok." Greg replies. "Thanks for your time." He heads towards the door, and then pauses. "One last thing… Were any cell phones left here Saturday night?"

"Yes, there was one." The woman replied. She turned and walked to the hostess stand. Reaching below the desk, she extracted a phone from the basket kept there for the purpose. It was bright pink, with a design picked out in crystals on the back of the phone. It was obvious it didn't belong to Sam or Jules.

"Ok. Thank you."

Greg and Spike headed for the parking lot. As they approached their car, Ed and Wordy arrived.

"Any news?" Ed asked.

"No." Greg replied. "The hostess confirms that they were here on Saturday night, but she didn't see which direction they left in."

Greg looked around the parking lot, as if it could tell him where the couple went. "Let's walk the lot, see if there's anything that might tell us something."

The team spread out, looking around the lot for anything that might tell them what happened.

"I think I've got something." Wordy says. He was crouched down near a parking space. He put gloves on and reached down to touch the ground. The team approached to see what he was looking at.

"This looks like blood." Wordy says.

"A fight in the lot?" Greg asks, then looks at Spike.

"I'm on it." Spike responds. He calls into headquarters. "Winnie, it's Spike. Were there any reports of an assault or a fight at Le Select Bistro on Saturday or Sunday night?"

"Checking" is the reply. There's a pause on the line. "Negative. No assaults or fights reported in the area for some time."

"Ok, thanks Winnie." Spike says, hanging up the phone.

"Boss, no fights or assaults reported." Spike says.

"Ok, Wordy, see if you can get a sample of the blood and get it to the lab. Let's see if it matches either of them." Ed says. He turns to Greg.

Greg nods slowly. "Let's hope it's not theirs." He readjusts his cap on his head, and looks at Ed. The look in his eyes telling Ed that he thought there was trouble. Ed nodded.

They all headed back to Headquarters.

* * *

"You're sure?" Wordy said into the phone. He pressed his lips together. "Ok, thanks for the quick turnaround." He hung up the phone and turned to the team.

"It's Sam's blood. The lab just finished the analysis."

There was momentary silence. The team looked to Greg. He stood at the head of the table, hands on his hips. "Ok. This is officially a hot call." The team tensed in anticipation. "Winnie, get team three online. We have officers missing. Wordy, check the hospitals. Spike, keep trying to locate Sam's car and watch for their cell phones to regain the network."

Greg knew that finding them was going to be a challenge. They were each the other's best contact. Sam had his father, but the relationship was strained. Jules' parents lived outside Vancouver, so it was unlikely that they knew where Jules was.

"Spike, check with that restaurant, see if they have any security cameras."

"I'm on it, boss." Spike responds. He picks up his phone and dials the restaurant. Greg turns to Ed.

"Ed, take Wordy. Head back their homes. Let yourselves in and make sure they aren't there."

Ed nods. "Will do." He turns and signals Wordy to join him. They head to Sam's apartment, near the Garden District. Climbing to the second floor, they approach the door to his apartment. They knock on the door and wait for a response. A second knock, and still no answer. Ed tries the knob, but the door is locked. He steps aside and Wordy picks the lock. They enter the apartment.

The apartment is kept neat – a clear indicator of Sam's personal discipline. Wordy moves to the right down a short hallway into the kitchen. Ed moves forward through the living room. He passes the bathroom and on to the bedrooms. The Master bedroom is empty and there is no sign of a struggle. Ed returns to the living room and meets Wordy, who shakes his head silently.

"Let's head to Jules' house." Ed says quietly.

They head out again, and take the short drive to Jules' house. Approaching the door, they listen carefully for any movement inside. Ed knocks on the door, and they wait for a response. When it is obvious that there will be no response, Ed motions to Wordy, who kneels and picks the lock on the door. They enter cautiously, weapons at the ready.

"Jules! Sam! Are you here?" Ed calls out. He is met with silence. Ed motions to Wordy to check the second floor, as he heads towards the kitchen. Approaching the kitchen down a small hall, Ed pauses at the entrance to a room off the hall. The room is empty except for a carpet. Ed turns back to the hallway to continue to the kitchen. Ed pauses before entering the wider space of the kitchen. There is no sign of her. He turns, and sees the cellar door. He tries the knob - locked. As he is about to turn the knob to unlock the door, Wordy joins him. Ed looks at him, the question in his eyes. Wordy shakes his head. There is no one upstairs.

Ed turns the knob to unlock the cellar door, and pulls the door open. Wordy precedes him into the cellar, stepping down the stairs, the light on his weapon lighting the stairs. Ed reaches over and turns on the light switch. Light floods the cellar. As he finishes descending the stairs, he looks around the cellar space. The walls are stacked and mortared stones, the floor old poured concrete. The cellar was not square. There was a section of the cellar that they could not see from the door. Ed moved towards the left to move more deeply into the cellar.

The light bulb in the deeper portion of the cellar was blown. Ed moved around the corner carefully, the flashlight on his weapon illuminating the darkness. "Clear." Ed said. The cellar was empty. He and Wordy exited the house and returned to the car.

Ed called into headquarters. "Boss. No Joy. Jules and Sam are not at either location." He pauses, listening to the Sergeant's reply. "Copy that."

"Wordy, let's head back to HQ."

"Copy that." Wordy says somberly.


	6. Chapter 6

Spike returned to the SRU headquarters. He moved quickly to his computer station, inserting a DVD into the drive. He brought up the videos on the screen, searching for any sign of Sam and Jules. He located their entry to the restaurant and noted the time. He switched to the parking lot video and forwarded to the timestamp of their arrival. He saw Sam's car pull into the lot and into the space next to where the blood was found. He and Jules exited the car and headed towards the restaurant.

Switching to the video of the interior of the restaurant, Spike could see Sam and Jules at their table. The restaurant was moderately busy that night. The tables in nearest proximity to their table were all occupied with couples, except one. There was a man sitting at a table to Sam's right, his back to the camera.

Spike fast forwarded to the time the hostess said that Sam and Jules had left the restaurant. He saw them rise from their chairs. Sam headed towards the door, while Jules headed for the ladies room. About ten minutes later, Jules emerged from the ladies room and headed for the exit of the restaurant. She paused at the hostess station to have a word with the hostess and then moved on to the door. Spike switched to the parking lot video.

He saw Sam enter the parking lot and head towards his car. Someone came up behind Sam and hit him over the head. Sam went down hard, his head hitting the side of the car on the way down. He didn't move. The assailant picked up something from the ground next to Sam. _The keys. _Spike thought. The assailant moved to the trunk of the car and opened it. Then he picked up Sam and put him into the trunk. He closed the trunk and moved into the shadows.

Spike watched in horror, his eyes widening to their fullest. Jules had entered the parking lot and approached the car. She looked around, probably looking for Sam. Sam's assailant approached her from behind and grabbed her. He put something over her face, and she went limp. He dragged her to the passenger side of the car and put her in. He then moved to the driver's side of the car, got in, and drove off.

"Hey boss!" Sam called. "You have to come see this!"

Greg and the team came to stand behind Spike. He rewound the parking lot video to the moment before Sam approached the car. The team watched in silence as first Sam and then Jules were rendered unconscious and put into the car.

"Right." Greg said. "Well, that confirms our suspicions. Spike, can you make out their assailant?"

"I'll try." Came the reply. "But this guy moves like he knows where the camera is."

"Do your best." Greg said, turning to walk back to the briefing room. The rest of the team followed.

"Boss?" Ed asked.

Greg stood quietly for a few moments and then turned to the team.

"Ok, so what do we know? They were abducted Saturday night around 9:30pm. It's almost 6pm Monday. They've been missing for almost 48 hours." The team listened quietly. "Sam is injured. Jules incapacitated. The assailant used Sam's car to remove them from the scene."

"There's been no call for a ransom, so this is probably not a normal K&R." Ed added.

"Personal?" Wordy asked.

"Possibly, but we can't rule out professional." Ed replied.

Greg nodded assent. He left the briefing room and approached Winnie's station. "Winnie, let everyone know. Officers missing, an abduction. 48 hours have elapsed. Circulate their photos."

"On it." Winnie replied. She looked at Greg, concern in her eyes.

"We'll find them." Greg told her. Winnie nodded and got to work.

* * *

"Sam? Are you awake?" Jules asked quietly. Night was falling outside – the line of light they could see in the window was fading.

"Yeah." Sam replied. He shifted in the darkness, his bonds rattling. "Were you able to find something to try to pick these locks?" Sam asked.

"No." Jules replied. "The cellar is pretty bare. No nails or wires that I could find, and the rafters are too high for me to try to get a wire that way." She made an exasperated sound.

"Ok." Sam said. "Well, we know this guy is probably going to come back down here. We should try to overpower him so you can get out of here. Maybe you can get to help."

Jules nodded in the dark. "What do you propose?" she said.

"The next time he comes down here, you hide behind me. The corner to my right stays pretty dark when the light is on. It doesn't quite reach there. Maybe you can rush him and push him towards me. I'll try to get my legs around him while you get out of here."

"Sam, my ankle…"

"I know. But it's the best idea I have right now. My arms are in rough shape, being chained up like this. If I can hold him long enough, you should have enough time to get out of here."

"It'll be a challenge." Jules replied, thinking furiously. "Did you see any of the location when he brought you here?"

"No. I was unconscious. I woke up here in the cellar."

The cellar door opened and the lights turned on. Blinking in the sudden light, Sam turned his head away from the door. Jules retreated into her corner. Sam could barely make her out in the darkness. Their captor descended the stairs slowly. His footsteps deliberate. He paused just within the cellar for a moment, then continued towards Sam.

"Well," he said, "I see you got your surprise. I hope you liked it."

"Let her go." Sam demanded.

Their captor stopped, and looked at Sam. He tilted his head slightly, as if considering the idea.

"I think not." He replied. "She's got too much to answer for."

"What did she ever do to you?" Sam demanded. He got to his feet. He moved towards his captor, getting as close as his bonds would allow.

His captor moved forward, nearly nose to nose with Sam. "She got onto the SRU. That spot should have been mine." He said with some venom. "She's the reason my wife left me. I lost my career and my family, all because of Little Miss Peanut."

Sam gave him a smoldering look. "You make no sense. She had no control over the decision that kept you off the SRU. And what did she have to do with your wife leaving me?"

"That's between me and her." He replied. He shoved Sam back against the wall. Jules came out of the corner seeking to push their captor off balance. He saw her coming and backhanded her. She spun away from Sam and fell heavily to the floor. Sam yelled and attempted to reach her assailant. He was brought up short by the chains. Their captor turned and punched Sam square in the face. Through a haze of pain, Sam heard a click and the chains were drawn up towards the ceiling, forcing him to his toes.

"You seem to have problems following rules, don't you?" Their captor said. He punched Sam hard in the ribs. The action seemed to release something in their captor, and he started beating Sam in earnest. Sam was helpless to defend himself, or even protect himself from the blows.

Jules pushed herself up from the floor, shaking her head groggily. Their captor was working Sam over pretty badly. "Sam!" Jules yelled. She got up and threw herself at the captor from behind. He turned to face her, and she managed to back hand him with her bound hands. He staggered and then raised his hand to his mouth, wiping blood from his lip. He straightened and looked down at her, contempt and anger on his face.

Sam was gasping for air, his ribs on fire from the beating he had taken. He raised his head and saw Jules staring their captor down. He knew he had to do something. Their captor towered over Jules. His ribs protesting, Sam lifted his legs and kicked out at their captor, connecting with his back. The man staggered forward, and then turned to face Sam, rage evident on his face. Sam kicked out at him again, connecting with the man's stomach. He doubled-over, and Jules moved forward, obviously intending to knee him in the face. He straightened quickly and grabbed Jules, shoving her hard against the wall. Sam heard the sickening hollow thump as her head hit the wall, and she crumpled to the floor unconscious.

"Not so tough now, are you?" He said to her prone body. He spat on her, and then give a kick to her prone body. He turned slowly to look at Sam.

Sam was furious. He stared angrily at their captor and then glanced down at Jules. Their captor moved towards Sam, until he was again nose to nose with him. Sam returned his gaze to his captor. Neither said a word. They just stared each other down like boxers before a prize fight.

"I WILL kill you." Sam hissed. Their captor chuckled.

"You have to survive this, first."

He shoved Sam hard away from him. Sam's head connected with the wall behind him. Almost immediately, his captor started raining blows on Sam. No part of his body was ignored. Sam distantly felt the moment when his ribs broke. By the time the beating stopped, Sam was unconscious, hanging from his wrists.


	7. Chapter 7

Greg stalked through SRU headquarters. It was Tuesday morning, and there had been no progress in finding Sam and Jules.

"Spike, any luck identifying their assailant?" Greg asked. Spike looked exhausted. Greg knew that Spike had worked on the video the entire night without sleep. Spike looked up from the computer screen.

"No. The parking lot video is pretty dark." Spike replied. "But I may have something here. I went back over the interior video." As he talked, Spike was punching keys on the keyboard. The restaurant interior came up on the screen. Jules and Sam were seated at their table.

Spike paused the video and pointed to the table with the single occupant next to them. "See this guy? He seems to be overly interested in Sam and Jules. There's moments when he seems to be trying to listen to their conversation."

Spike forwarded the video. When he started playing it again, Sam and Jules were just rising from their table. "Now keep an eye on him." Spike directed. Greg watched the video. As soon as Jules disappeared in the ladies room, the diner rose from his table, threw some money down, and turned for the exit. Unfortunately, he turned in such a way as to keep his face hidden from the camera.

"Can you get anything off the video to ID this guy?" Greg asked. Spike shook his head.

"No. He avoids the camera too well. I went back to when this man arrived at the restaurant, and it's the same story. He knew where the cameras were and avoided them."

"Ok, Spike." Greg said. "Get some rest."

"There's something else, though." Spike said. "I called the restaurant to see if the hostess remembered anything about this guy. She definitely remembered him coming to the restaurant. He insisted on being put at a table next to Sam and Jules. She said that he told her he hadn't seen them in a long time and wanted to surprise them with a reunion."

"Did he try to communicate with them in any way?"

"No. And she thought that was the strangest part. She said he was insistent about the table, but then he made no attempt to communicate with them during or after dinner."

"Can she describe him?" Greg asked.

"She just said he was tall, dark haired. He looked like he had been in really good shape, but that he was starting to get out of shape. He had a small scar on his chin."

"Not much to go on." Greg said. "Good work, Spike. Get some rest."

Greg returned to the briefing room and leaned on the table. He hung his head down, trying to come up with some idea of where to look for Sam and Jules.

* * *

Jules awoke slowly. Her head was pounding and she was aware of a new pain in her side. The lights had been left on in the cellar. She carefully rolled over and looked at Sam.

"Sam? Sam!" Jules said. She pushed herself to her knees, and then lurched to her feet and limped over to him. He was suspended from his wrists, his head hanging down, chin on his chest. He slept, but there was an ominous rattling in his chest.

Jules struggled to her feet and reached up to touch Sam's face.

"Sam?" she said quietly. Sam groaned and opened his eyes.

"Jules…" he said through a groan. He raised his head. His nose was broken, and his left eye was swollen shut. There was blood on his chest, but Jules couldn't tell if it was from his nose or from other injuries on his chest.

"Sam. Are you ok?" Jules asked.

"I think my ribs are broken." Sam replied. "And my shoulder - I think it's dislocated."

"He worked you over pretty good." Jules said, unable to keep the concern from her voice.

"Are you ok, Jules?" Sam asked. Her lip was split again.

"I'm ok." She said. "A headache and a little dizzy, but I'm ok."

They could hear footsteps on the stairs.

"Jules, get in the corner." Sam said quickly. Jules hastened to comply, her limp more pronounced.

"Ah, you're awake. Good." Their captor said. His tone was almost pleasant. Sam tensed, ready to do whatever he could to defend himself and Jules. He was frustrated because he knew that in his condition, it wouldn't be much. Their captor walked past him, towards Jules in her corner. He held out a bottle of water to her.

"Water." He said flatly. Jules did not acknowledge him. He tipped his head and shrugged, almost as if it were no matter to him. He placed the water bottle on the floor in front of her. He turned and looked at Sam. There was a click, and Sam's chains slacked. Sam sagged to his knees with a groan, his arms still held above him by the chains.

Their captor gave a half chuckle. He turned to leave the cellar, leaving the bottle of water on the floor.

"Sam?" Jules said. Sam groaned. She bent to retrieve the bottle of water. Removing the cap, she held it to Sam's lips so that he could drink. He drank greedily. She lowered the bottle. Sam coughed weakly, the rattle in his chest more pronounced.

"Sam, your ribs?" Sam frowned and shook his head. Jules knelt beside him. She drank some of the water. The wetness was welcome to her dry throat. She drank again.

"The team is looking for us." Jules said, helping him drink more of the water. "They will come, and they will get us out of here."

Sam nodded. Jules was concerned. Sam was looked defeated. He said something, but Jules couldn't make it out.

"Sam? What did you say?" Jules said. Sam replied, but his voice was thick and slurred. His head fell forward on to his chest. Jules felt her concern for him escalate. _Is he hurt worse than he said?_ Jules thought. To the best she was able Jules ran her hands across Sam, looking for injuries he may not have disclosed. He coughed once, and then was silent. Jules tried to wake him, but he didn't respond. She checked his pulse and it seemed dangerously slow. He was barely breathing.

"Sam! Wake up!" Jules cried. She shook him, knowing it would cause him pain and hating the necessity to do it. Sam's head lolled loosely on his neck. Jules felt a wave of nausea and dizziness. She put her hand to her head.

At that moment, their captor returned. He stopped to look and Sam and Jules. Jules looked up at him, but her perception of him was distorted. She felt herself fall over and sprawled on the floor.

Their captor turned to Sam and released his wrists from the chains. He bent and released Sam's ankles from the hobbles. Sam groaned but didn't wake. Jules blinked her eyes, trying to clear her sight. Their captor reached down and picked Sam up in a fireman's carry, and took him from the cellar. Jules could hear his heavy footsteps overhead as he moved across the floor above.

Some undefined time later, their captor returned to the cellar. Jules stared blearily at him. He offered her more water from the bottle, and she drank greedily. She was so parched. She protested when he took the bottle away. He picked her up and carried her up the stairs. She had vague impressions of an old farmhouse as he carried her. He left the house and approached Sam's car. He placed her in the back seat of the car. She felt as though all her muscles had melted. Her captor climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. Jules tried to get her bearings, but sleep called to her with an invitation she couldn't resist.


	8. Chapter 8

"Boss, we have something."

Ed's voice brought Greg out of his reverie.

"What is it?" Greg said, instantly alert.

"We just got a call from Gilford PD. They've found Sam's car. It's in a parking lot in Gilford on the shore of Lake Simcoe."

Greg immediately got to his feet. "Let's go. Call ahead and let them know we're coming. Have EMS on the scene." He collected the rest of the team members as he headed for the garage.

The drive to Lake Simcoe took over an hour. When they arrived, it was nearly dark. Police had cordoned off the area where the car was located.

"Spike, check it." Ed said. Spike moved towards the car, looking for any sign of tampering with the car.

"It's clean." Spike said. He saw the keys in the ignition of the car. "The keys are in the ignition."

Ed approached the car as Spike reached in and removed the keys from the ignition.

Greg approached the local police constable on the site. "Constable, I'm Sergeant Greg Parker of the SRU. What can you tell me?"

The constable indicated that about 4pm during a routine patrol, the constable had seen that car in the lot. It appeared abandoned. There was no sign of Sam or Jules. Knowing the SRU was looking for their missing team members, he left the car as he found it.

"OK, thanks." Greg replied. He turned and walked to the car.

"Spike, pop the trunk." Ed said. Spike found the trunk release next to the steering wheel column. The trunk lid released.

"Get EMS over here!" Ed yelled. He threw the trunk lid completely open. Sam was in the trunk. Ed reached down to feel a pulse. "He's alive." Ed reported. "But he's pretty badly beaten up."

"Jules?" asked Greg. Ed shook his head. Jules was not in the trunk with Sam. The paramedics arrived quickly and they carefully took Sam from the trunk. When they laid him on the gurney, the extent of Sam's injuries became evident.

The paramedic checked Sam's vitals. He looked up at Greg, who was standing nearby. "We need Mediflight." Greg agreed and called in the order. He stayed with Sam, waiting for the helicopter to arrive.

"Hang in there, buddy." Ed said.

Spike and Wordy went over the car looking for evidence while Ed searched the surrounding area. By the time the helicopter arrived, they had found nothing. The car had been wiped clean of all prints.

Sam was loaded on to the helicopter and it lifted off, heading to St. Joseph's Health Care in Toronto. The team watched in silence as the helicopter flew towards Toronto.

"Ok, guys." Greg said. "Let's head out." Greg indicated to the constable to have the car taken to the Toronto headquarters so the forensics team could go through it. He got into the SUV and Ed headed back towards Toronto, the rest of the team following.

The team arrived at the hospital and headed directly to the ER. The nurses were moving Sam out of the trauma room. Greg approached the doctor.

"Doctor? How is he?" Greg asked.

The doctor looked back at the burses retreating with Sam and then back to Greg. "He's in pretty rough shape." The Doctor said. "He's got blunt force trauma injuries to the head and torso. His shoulder is dislocated. There are a couple of broken ribs, which may have compromised his lungs. There are signs of internal bleeding as well. It also appears that he's been drugged."

"Drugged?" Greg asked.

"Yes, drugged. We are working on the exact nature of the drug. In the meantime, they are taking him to surgery to determine the extent of his internal injuries. He'll be taken to the ICU after that."

"Ok, thanks." Greg said. The doctor nodded and walked away.

Greg turned to face his team. "He's being taken to surgery, then to the ICU. Wordy, stay here and wait for him. Let me know when he regains consciousness." Wordy nodded.

"Let's get back to HQ."

The rest of the team followed Greg out to the SUVs and headed out to the SRU HQ. When they arrived, it was a somber team that moved into the briefing room.

"Winnie, do we have any new information?" Greg asked.

"No." Winnie responded, the frustration evident in her voice.

Greg absorbed the information stoically. He looked at his team members. They were all tired and look dispirited.

"Ok, everyone go home. Get some rest."

The remaining team members protested.

"We can do nothing to help them if we are all exhausted. Wordy will let us know if Sam wakes. Get some sleep. We start fresh in the morning."

The team members nodded assent and headed for the locker rooms to change.

* * *

The phone rang in the darkness. "Greg Parker".

"Boss, it's Wordy. Sam's awake." Greg looked at the clock on his bedside. 4:30 AM.

"Has he spoken?" Greg asked.

"Not much."

"Ok, I'll be there shortly. Text the team."

Greg hung up the phone and dressed quickly. He arrived at the hospital before five AM and headed directly to the ICU and Sam's room.

"Hey Sam." Greg said quietly.

"Hey boss." Sam replied. His voice thick with pain and the painkillers they had given him. "Jules?"

"She's still out there, but we'll find her." Greg replied. "Sam, I know you're tired. But can you tell me anything about the man who assaulted you?"

"Hmmm?" Sam said drowsily. "My height… Caucasian... dark hair… scar on his face… Jules broke his nose. Jules!" Sam exclaimed, moving as if to get up. He groaned from the renewed pain in his body.

"Easy, Sam." Greg said, trying to soothe Sam. "Can you tell me where you were being kept?"

There was a long pause. Greg thought Sam might have fallen asleep when he heard Sam's reply. "Cellar… Old house. I can't say where… was out… when he took us there. He hit me with something... Woke up in the trunk. He stopped somewhere… put me out with something. Chloroform? Woke up in… cellar."

"The doctors said they thought you were drugged with something when we found you. Any ideas what he used?" Greg asked.

"Drugged?" Sam replied quietly. There was another long pause. "The water… he must have put something... in the water. Didn't taste anything. Sorry… can't give you more."

"You did just fine, Sam." Greg said reassuringly. "Get some rest."

Greg started to leave the room. "Boss." Sam said, weakly. Greg returned to the bed. "There is something... Cop... tried out for the SRU."

"Are you sure?" Greg asked.

"Yeah. He kept going on… Jules' taking his spot..." Sam said.

Greg's mind kicked into overdrive. _A police officer. Someone with a grudge against Jules._ He told Sam to get some rest and headed out to the hall of the ICU. Ed and Spike had arrived while he was talking to Sam. Greg stopped in front of them.

"Boss?" Ed said.

Greg looked up at the taller officer. "He's going to be all right." The team looked relieved. "We're looking for a cop." He added quietly.

The team looked at Greg in shock. "A cop?" Spike asked.

"Sam said that the man that assaulted him and Jules tried out for the SRU. He blames Jules for his not making it onto the team." Greg started moving down the hall, his team following close behind.

Once they reached the SRU headquarters, the team sprang into action.

"Winnie, please pull up a list of all SRU candidates that were in Jules' candidate flight." Greg said as he walked past her desk. "Have the files brought to the briefing room."

"Roger that." Winnie replied. She accessed the SRU database and retrieved a list of names. "There are 125 candidates in that flight."

"Eliminate all women. We're looking for a Caucasian male about Sam's height."

"That narrows the list to 105." Winnie replied. Greg knew it was going to be a long day.

"Ok. Get those files and send them in." Greg said.

The team got changed for the day into their uniforms and assembled in the briefing room. A number of document boxes sat on the table.

"Everyone take a box. We need to go through these files." Greg directed.

"Are we looking for anything in particular?" Spike asked.

"Caucasian male, about Sam's height. Small scar on his chin. He wasn't selected for the SRU."

Silence descended on the room as the team started scouring the files, discarding any that did not match the description. In the end, they had narrowed the list down to eight.

"Spike, see what you can find out about these eight." Greg said.

"I'm on it." Spike said, hurrying from the room to his computer workstation.

"Ed, check with PD. See if any of the names on this list are missing or on leave."

"Copy that." Ed left the room, already dialing his phone.

"Boss?" Wordy said. Greg looked at his teammate.

"You look done in. Get some sleep." Greg said. Wordy nodded silently and headed for the cot room.

Greg sat slowly into his chair and stared out the window over the city. Somewhere out there, Jules was waiting on him to find her. _Stay strong, Jules._ _We're coming._


	9. Chapter 9

Jules slowly became aware of her surroundings. She could hear birds singing loudly. She was lying on her side on a hard surface, her hands bound behind her back again. She opened her eyes slowly. She turned her head and a wave of nausea came over her. She closed her eyes and swallowed, fighting to settle her stomach.

"Sam?" she said quietly. There was no response.

She opened her eyes again, this time waiting for her head to stop swimming. She gingerly turned her head and looked around at her surroundings. She was lying on the floor of what looked like a cabin. Through a gap in the curtains on a window opposite her, she could see that it was day, and that the cabin was close up against some trees. Carefully, she worked herself back towards the wall behind her and levered herself up to a sitting position. Her feet were bound in leg irons, a chain connecting them to the wall she was leaning against. Her ankle had swollen, making the restraint on that side uncomfortable.

She closed her eyes again. _We've been moved._ She thought. _Where's Sam?_ She opened her eyes again, searching the room for Sam.

She could hear footsteps outside the cabin. They sounded on hollow wood. A door opened and the room was flooded with bright sunlight. She blinked in the strong light and saw her captor silhouetted in the door. He reached down and leaned what looked like a rifle against the wall near the door. He turned and closed the door.

He approached her silently. Without saying anything to her he roughly turned her and checked the bonds on her hands. Then he pulled on the leg chains. She hissed at the additional pain the movement caused in her injured ankle. Satisfied that her bonds were still secure, he moved away from her and squatted down, facing her.

"So, what am I to do with you?" He said.

Jules looked at him, outwardly calm. Inwardly though, was a different story. She fought through the lingering muzziness of her mind to try to make sense of the new situation.

"Where's Sam?" she asked.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about him anymore." Her captor stated in a quiet voice, as if she were a child he was trying to soothe and convince that there were no monsters in the closet. "I've taken care of him."

"Taken _care_ of him?" Jules asked.

"Of course." he replied matter-of-factly. "I did tell you that I wanted you to experience everything that I have gone through since we last met. You know, when you robbed me of my place on the SRU?" He stared at her, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Well, now you know the loss of a loved one." Looking at his watch, he continued, "Right about now, your friends should be picking what is left of Sam up out of the trunk of his car. Based on his condition when I left him, he didn't have long."

Jules felt a deep profound pain. _Sam! No, Sam..._

"No..." She said out loud. "Sam's stronger than you think."

"Well, yes, that may be. But there was enough GHB in that water to knock the two of you out for hours. That stuff is tough enough on your system when you're healthy. Sam was... less than healthy when he drank half that bottle down."

Jules realized the danger Sam was in. Beaten, drugged and locked in a trunk. He wasn't a small man, so he would be cramped in that trunk, making it harder for him to breathe. _Find him, guys; before it's too late._ She fought the rising panic she felt and tried to focus on her situation.

"What is it that you want from me?" Jules asked. "You've taken my freedom and the man I love from me. What else is there?"

"Well," he replied matter-of-factly, "there is plenty more. Your place on the SRU is a start..."

"I told you, I didn't have any part of the final decision."

"That's true. But I can make it so that there are two new openings instead of one. Then I will get on the team, and get my life back."

"After this?" Jules replied. "You won't get on the team after this. Kidnapping and assaulting two police officers. Drugs. Sam..." Her throat constricted with the thought of what he did to Sam.

"I've been on the force long enough to know how to avoid the forensics. There aren't any prints. No video of my face. I used Sam's car so there is nothing to trace me to the scene. Your cell phones were disabled the moment I had you, so they can't track them. Even if Sam survives, he can't identify the location you were in - he saw only the cellar."

"You're underestimating the team. Somewhere, you will have slipped up. And they will find you. They will come for you. It's only a matter of time."

He chuckled quietly. "Such conviction! Such faith in your team!" He moved closer to her. "You know the drill. You've been missing now for over three days. Their best chance of finding you was in the first 48 hours. At this point, with no leads, they won't find you. Or they think they're on a recovery mission instead of a rescue. You're on your own."

Jules just looked at him. "You don't know the team." She said defiantly.

He captor shook his head, as if disbelieving her. He rose and crossed the floor towards her. Leaning down, he looked menacingly into her eyes. "Now..." he mused. "About creating that team opening. I'll have to consider the best way to do that." He smiled slightly.

"Oh, don't look so worried." He said, his grin widening. "I'm not going to _kill_ you. After all, you won't really know the true extent of the pain you caused unless you live with it! Able to see what you were every day, but knowing that it is out of your reach forever."

Jules looked at him. _He is insane._ Jules waited, expecting him to strike out at her. Instead, he straightened. Taking one last look at her, he turned and left the cabin. Jules heard his footsteps on the porch. It was followed by the sound of a door closing and a car driving away from the cabin.

She listened for a time, and decided he had left. She tested the bonds on her wrists - he had used police-issue zip ties. Her wrists were already swollen and sore from being bound for three days. She didn't think she would be able to work free from them. She also couldn't repeat her maneuver to get her hands to the front of her because of the chain connecting the leg irons to the wall. She cast around her, looking for a nail. She saw one to her right - starting to work up out of the floorboard. Slowly, she shifted over towards it. She reached behind her, and started trying to pry it up from the board.

* * *

"Boss, I think we have something." Winnie said from her station. "Constable Darren Ridinger. He did not show for his shift today. No call."

Spike heard Winnie and pulled up Ridinger's file. "Constable with Toronto PD for fifteen years. Applied for SRU three years ago. He was a member of Jules' candidate flight." Greg found the file and opened it.

"Darren Ridinger." Greg read. "Constable for 10 years, bomb technician for two. Applied for the SRU three years ago. Top marks in all aspects of the test." He flipped a page up. "Psychological evaluation looked good, but there is a note that he had a tendency towards anger.

Spike called out from his terminal. "Married to Carol for 18 years, two kids, a son and daughter. Parents Darren Sr. and Helen, both deceased."

"Ok, let's get Carol in here, see if we can't get more information about where Darren may be." Greg said.

A short time later, Carol Ridinger approached Winnie's desk. "I'm Carol Ridinger. I got a call that I should come here?"

Greg approached Carol. "Mrs. Ridinger? My name is Greg Parker. I am with the Strategic Response Unit. Thank you for coming in today."

"What is this about?" She asked. "Has something happened to Darren?"

Greg shook his head. "No, Darren's fine. But we think he may be in a bit of trouble. Would you please come with me?" She nodded, and Greg led her to the briefing room. She sat in a chair, looking at Greg with a puzzled look.

"Has Darren been under any unusual stress lately? At home or work?" Greg started.

"I don't know about unusual, but yes, he's been under stress." Carol replied.

"Go on." Greg said. Ed quietly entered the room.

"I recently asked Darren for a divorce. Ever since he applied for the SRU but didn't get in, he's been so angry. He started brooding. The only time he seemed to calm down was when his team got a call. He was on the bomb squad." Greg nodded.

"Whenever they got a call, he would come home and would almost seem happy for a while. But then one day, there was a call. I think your Team was also on the call. Something about white supremacists? He came home angry because it was your team that got to all the bombs. It reminded him that he didn't make the team. He started drinking. He would get angrier every day. When I tried to talk to him about it, he just yelled more and shouted something about someone named Jules."

"Do you remember what he said about Jules?" Greg asked.

"Not all of it. He was pretty incoherent by then. There was something he said… something like 'Little Miss Peanut thinks she is so hot. Well, she's got nothing I don't have. I'll show her.'"

Carol paused. "I tried to ask him who he was talking about but he denied saying anything. Then one night, he..."

Greg saw that what she had next to say wasn't pleasant. "He what, Mrs. Ridinger?"

"He started hitting me." She said flatly.

"Had he ever done that before?"

"No. He had always been so gentle, so loving. We started fighting more and more and he just seemed to snap."

"When did this start?" Greg asked.

"About six weeks ago." She replied. "I finally asked for a divorce two weeks ago. He was so angry. He left the house that night and I haven't seen him since."

"Does he have any place else he could have gone? A vacation home?"

"His late parents had an old farmhouse in Stonehaven. I had been trying to get him to sell it, but he didn't want to. It just stands there, empty. And I think his brother had a place near Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park. I'm not sure though."

Greg looked up at Ed. Ed nodded and left the room. "Spike," Ed said, "See if you can find an address on a house in Stonehaven belonging to Darren and Helen Ridinger." Spike tapped a few keys on his keyboard and an address appeared.

"Got it." Spike said. "Sending it your PDAs."

"Thanks. Gear up." Ed said. Spike rose and headed towards the equipment room. He stopped on the way in the cot room and woke Wordy. Ed returned to the briefing room.

"Mrs. Ridinger, can you remember where his brother's place is? The address?" Greg prompted.

She shook her head. "It's a cabin in the woods. I was only there once. I remember it was pretty secluded. It was a long drive through the trees to get to it."

"Was there anything unique about it? Did you have to cross any bridges to get to it? Was there any water nearby?"

She shook her head. "I don't remember... wait! I remember there was a park entrance. We had to go through part of the Park and out the other side to get to the cabin. It was up high. There was a rock ledge you could stand on and look out over the park."

Greg nodded. "Thank you for the information, Mrs. Ridinger."

"Is Darren in trouble?" she asked.

"He may be involved in the assault and kidnapping of two police officers." Greg said. "We are trying to determine that right now." She blanched.

"If you don't mind, could you stay here? We may have more questions for you." Greg asked. Carol nodded.

Greg left the briefing room and headed for the Garage, his team following closely behind.

As they rode in the SUVs, Spike mentioned that they were going to Vivian Road, just outside Stonehaven. It was under an hour's drive from there to Gilford where Sam was found. The team turned onto the 404 and headed north towards Stonehaven.


	10. Chapter 10

The team pulled up to an old white farmhouse set far back from the road. It had the look of being empty. They exited the SUVs and surveyed the area.

"Wordy, you and Spike take the back." Ed said. He and Greg headed for the front entrance, their weapons ready. Ed tried the door and found it unlocked.

"Entry clear, white wall." Ed said quietly.

"Copy that." Came Wordy's reply. "Entry locked, black wall. Working on it now."

"Everyone make sure the doors are clear before entering. This guy is bomb squad. He may have left some surprises." Greg said.

"Copy that."

Ed eased the front door open and carefully checked for trip wires. He signaled for Greg to follow as he moved into the hallway. To the left there was an unfurnished parlor, its wood floor showing a fine layer of undisturbed dust. Greg headed down the hall towards the kitchen. Another door on his right before the kitchen door led to what looked like a formal dining room. There was a rug on the floor, and there were footprints and other signs of disturbance in the dust. Ed joined him, and took in the scene.

Greg signaled to head for the kitchen. They entered the kitchen and were joined by Wordy and Spike from the rear of the house. Wordy pointed at a door with a lock. Spike headed to the door and examined it. He gave the thumbs up and unlocked the door. He pulled it open, standing aside to let Ed and Greg descend into the cellar.

Ed flipped the light switch on his way down the stairs and saw a second door standing open at the foot of the stairs. He moved through the door and to the left to allow Greg and the team to follow him. The light lit the odd shaped cellar. Ed moved towards the rear of the cellar, around a corner. He stopped when he saw the chains hanging from the ceiling.

"Oh, boy." Spike said.

Greg lowered his weapon. "Well, we know they were here. These chains match the marks on Sam's wrists."

"Now what?" Spike said.

"Let's head to the cabin Carol described." Greg responded. "Winnie, mobilize Team Three. Have them meet us at the entrance to Kawartha park."

"Will do." Came Winnie's reply over the radio.

"Let's move out." Greg said.

* * *

Jules carefully pulled at the nail. It came out of the old board slowly. She estimated it was about halfway out when she heard the car return outside the house. She shifted so that she was hiding the nail from view and leaned her head against the wall. Closing her eyes, she feigned sleep as she listened to the footsteps of her captor as he reentered the house.

"Wake up!" He said, kicking her in the hip. Jules jumped and let out a cry of surprise.

"Water." He said gruffly. He held a bottle to her lips but she turned her head away from the bottle, refusing to drink. He cuffed her on the side of the head, and forced her to look at him. He pinched her nose and waited for her to open her mouth, then poured the water into her mouth. She choked and spluttered, and eventually swallowed. He poured some more into her mouth, waiting for her to swallow a second time. Finally he released her. Her head fell forward and she gasped for air.

He retrieved a chair from the table near the door and placed it in front of her, it's back facing her. He sat down, facing her. He stared at her in silence for a time. She said nothing. Carefully, she started working on the nail again. She used only her fingers, hoping to hide what she was doing from his gaze.

"You're just like my wife." He said. "Stubborn as a mule. And you think you know it all." Jules held her silence.

"What? Nothing to say from the famous Jules Callaghan?" He derided. "No attempts to profile me? Get inside my head and try to negotiate your way out of this?"

Jules still stayed quiet. She continued working at the nail behind her back.

"Well, that's a change." He said. "Perhaps you are finally starting to realize your place in this world."

Jules couldn't resist that challenge. "My _place_ in this world?" She said. She knew it was dangerous to provoke this man, but she also needed to distract him so he wouldn't detect her efforts to free the nail.

"What exactly is my _place_ in this world?"

"What, you expect me to say 'barefoot and pregnant?'," he replied. "Better if you were meek and silent. Learn that the _man_ does the heavy lifting. You just sit and look pretty. And. Don't. Think."

_Are you kidding me?_ Jules thought. _When did we time warp back into the dark ages?_

"Is that what you think a woman is good for?" She shot back. "Arm candy? Well, you have a lot to learn." She said.

"No wonder you didn't make the cut." she muttered.

"What's that you said?" he demanded, rising from his chair. "Did I hear you right? 'No wonder I didn't make the cut'?" He moved forwards toward her, his entire body tense. "Are you suggesting that I am not as good as you? That I have some flaw that kept me off the SRU team?"

"Candidates are tested physically, mentally, and psychologically." Jules replied. "A weakness in any one area would disqualify someone from the team. You know that!"

Her captor's face flushed red with anger. He towered over her. She refused to cringe away from him, meeting his glare with her cool stare. He stood over her, his fists balled by his side. Finally, he bent down, until his face was nearly level with hers. Without warning, he slapped her. Her head snapped to the left. She bit her lip, took a deep breath and turned her head back to face him. She stared at him stoically. He slapped her again. This time, when she turned her head back to him, he backhanded her and she fell over to land heavily on her right shoulder. She expected him to continue, but instead he stood over her, rage clear on his face.

She lay there for a few moments, waiting and watching him to see what he would do next. He finally stalked away from her and left the cabin, slamming the door behind him. She continued waiting and listening for a time, but she heard nothing. She finally smiled slightly, the nail clasped firmly in her fist.

Sitting up slowly, she moved herself as close to the point where the chain met the wall as she could get. She worked her hands below her and then down towards her ankles. There was enough slack in the chain to allow her to get her hands in front of her. Carefully, she maneuvered the nail into the hole locking the leg irons and started working on the lock. She paused each time she heard a noise. If he returned now, then all would be lost. In this position, she wouldn't be able to hide what she was doing from him.


	11. Chapter 11

Team One and Team Three completed the three hour trip to Kawartha park. They met at the southwest entrance to the park. A ranger appeared at the gate and Greg approached him.

"My name is Sergeant Greg Parker of the Strategic Response Unit. We have reason to believe one of our officers is being held against their will in a cabin near here. Do you have maps of the area?"

The ranger nodded and beckoned Greg inside the station house.

"Most of the maps are of the park, but we have some of the surrounding area as well. It's pretty remote out here, though. A number of little cabins in the woods with a whole lot of space between them." The ranger stated as she pulled out topographic maps of the area.

"Can you give me a little more to go on?" the ranger asked.

"We know that to reach it, you have to go into the park and then exit it again. It may be built at elevation. There's a ledge near it that looks out over the park." Greg replied.

The ranger sorted through the maps. "Sounds like the west side, near Mississauga Lake." She pulled out a map of the area.

"There are not a lot of cabins in this area. It's pretty remote. There is an old logging road that moves through the park and back out."

"Were looking for a cabin that may be owned by someone named Ridinger." Greg supplied.

"Rindinger..." the ranger replied absently as she shifted maps."I think I know the one you want. There's only one way in or out once you leave the park." The ranger paused on a map showing the southwest side of the park. "Here." She pointed to the spot.

Greg looked at the map. "Spike, coordinates for you." He read the coordinates off the map. "Is there anything to mark the entrance to the cabin?"

She thought a moment. "Well, the last time I was in the area, I remember seeing a lightning-split tree just before the entrance. Just after the entrance, an outcropping of rock resembled a bear standing on its hind legs.

"Ok, great." Greg replied. He pointed to the map. "Mind if I have that?" She handed him the map. "Thanks."

Greg headed back to the SUVs. "Ok, we're going into a pretty remote area. The ranger says that once you get off the logging road, there is only one way in or out of the cabin area. Wait down the logging road just out of site from the entrance. We'll go in on foot. This guy is bomb squad, so watch where you step. Let's go."

They all got into the SUVs and headed for the logging road marked on the map.

* * *

Jules heard the snick of the cuff on her left leg release. She breathed a sigh of relief as she removed iron from her swollen ankle. She gingerly rotated it, trying to assess the severity of the damage to it. It was very stiff and painful. As the circulation returned to it, she could feel it begin to throb. She started working on the right cuff. This one took a little more time - she had to twist a little to get at the keyhole. It was on the bottom of the cuff, facing the floor. After what seemed hours, she heard the lock mechanism release. She quickly removed the cuff and cleared the chain from her wrists.

Looking closely at the zip tie on her wrists, Jules thought she might be able to get the nail into the restraining mechanism and force the tie to release. She held the nail with the tips of her fingers, and slowly twisted her hands. She could just get the point into the square of the tie was starting to apply pressure when a thump startled her. She dropped the nail. She looked up to see if her captor was returning, but the thump wasn't repeated. Hastily she retrieved the nail and went back to working on wrist restraints.

After a time, she was able to loosen the restraints enough to free one her hands. She was about to get up when she heard someone moving around the porch outside the cabin. She put the leg irons back on, making sure to keep them loose. She held the nail in her hand and put her hands behind her back, within the bounds of the zip tie, to make it look like she was still restrained. The door to the cabin opened as she settled back into place against the wall.

Her captor reentered the cabin. He glanced over at her, but said nothing. He moved about the cabin near the kitchen area. He lit a fire in the stove, and put a pot of water on to boil. Jules watched him as he completed these tasks. He put something into the water, and moved on to preparing vegetables. He produced a kitchen knife and started to chop the vegetables, which he added to the water. Then he rose, holding the knife. He looked towards Jules as if he were considering something, then left the cabin, taking the knife with him.

Jules sat quietly and listened. She didn't hear him leave the porch. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. If he was on the porch, waiting to see if she would try anything, she would have to wait until he lost interest. She used all her skills learned as a sniper and settled in to wait him out.

* * *

Ed drove the SUV slowly down the logging road. As he rounded a turn, he saw a tree that looked as if it had been split almost in two by lightning. A small entrance into the brush was seen just past the tree, and just after that, a rock that did indeed look like a standing bear.

"All right, everyone, get ready. There's the entrance." Greg said. They continued to drive until they were just out of sight of the entrance. Once they stopped, everyone exited the vehicles and grouped up for orders.

"Wordy, you're with Spike." Ed said. "Ramirez, keep a watch on the entrance. Let us know if anyone comes in or out." The Team Three member nodded and headed back up the road, to find a hidden vantage point across from the entrance. The other members of Team Three spread out and both teams started working their way up the access road silently.

Greg looked at his cell phone. There was no signal out here. "All teams, go to channel eight for communication." Channel eight was a secure frequency used only within the SRU. Multiple responses of "Copy that" came back at him. Greg switched his radio to channel eight and continue up the access road.


	12. Chapter 12

Jules heard the footsteps she had been waiting for. The door opened and her captor returned. He headed towards the stove and used the knife to stir the contents. He turned to the table and chopped up something, which he added to the pot. He stirred the pot again, and held up the knife, as if to inspect it.

Jules watched him turn, and he headed towards her, the knife held at his side. He prodded the chains on her feet with a toe. The used his foot to pull at the chain, pulling it towards him. The leg irons snugged up, pulling her legs towards him. He looked at her, and she returned his gaze steadily. She held the nail in her hand with the point out, ready to use it as a weapon if necessary.

"You've been naughty while I've been gone." He said.

Without warning, he knelt and stabbed the knife into Jules' left thigh. She screamed, leaning forward. She desperately reminded herself to keep her hands behind her, so he wouldn't notice that her hands were free. Her leg throbbed, and she could see blood slowly seeping from it. _He hadn't hit an artery._ She thought with relief. She let herself fall over to her side, hiding the nail within her palm. He grabbed her and pulled her upright to a standing position. Her leg refused to take her weight. He pushed her against the wall.

He stared down at her silently. He brought the knife up to her face, drawing the point slowly down her right cheek. She felt the blade bite into her jaw. Unable to pull away from the pain because of his restraining hand, she glared at him. He moved the blade of the knife and added a second cut next to the first. She cried out from the pain of the second, deeper cut.

"Remember what I said about you losing your place on the team?" He said quietly into her ear. "I was thinking about the best approach to accomplish that goal." He moved the knife slowly down her throat and outwards towards her shoulder. He tilted the knife, until only the very tip of the knife was against her shoulder, in the meaty part just below the point where her collar bone met the shoulder joint.

"Rendering you physically unfit sounds like a great start." He said. He slowly inserted the knife into her shoulder. She felt every millimeter of the knife as it entered her. She cried out from the pain. The knife did not stop its forward movement until she felt the tip of the knife hit her scapula. He held the knife there for a few long moments, and then suddenly yanked it from her shoulder. She screamed and slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. He slapped her and she fell over to her side, landing on the injured shoulder.

She was roughly rolled onto her stomach, and he discovered the loose bonds. He pulled on the tie and tightened them.

"Where is it?" he demanded. He started searching her for whatever she had used to release herself. He pried her hands open, only to find them empty. In frustration, he kicked her in the ribs. She cried out again and attempted to curl into a ball to protect herself. Her injured leg would not cooperate. He continued to kick her, raining blows on her ribs, arms and back, until finally a blow to the head spun her into blackness and away from the pain.

* * *

Her captor stood above her inert body, breathing heavily. His anger at this little bitch had not receded. In fact, it had only increased as the beating had gone on. He was so close, but he didn't want to kill her. He wanted her to live with the knowledge of what she did. He went to the well head near the stove and drew a large pail of water. At this time of year, the water was icy cold. Walking back to her, he dumped the pail of water over her. She woke spluttering.

Jules opened her eyes and returned to a world of pain. Everything hurt. Her body was protesting the abuse that she had received over the last three days. She glanced up at her captor and started to look away when she saw Ed through the crack in the curtains of the window. When she looked again, there was no one there. Jules groaned. _I'm starting to hallucinate_.

Her captor stood over her, breathing heavily. Suddenly, there was a thump outside the cabin. The man moved to the window, drawing the curtain aside. He swore softly. Letting the curtain fall, he turned back to Jules. He kicked her once more and then plunged the knife through the back of her left leg. As she screamed, he moved out of her line of sight.

A long thirty seconds after that, the door to the cabin opened suddenly and something was thrown in. It went off with a loud bang and a bright flash of light. Jules blinked her eyes, trying to clear them. Ed was there, crouching over her.

"Jules!" Ed said. "Hang on! We're getting you out of here." Jules heard Ed report that he had found her. Greg was beside her, working to release her hands and her feet.

"Where is he?" Greg asked.

Jules shook her head. "I couldn't see." she replied.

Greg eased her onto her back on the floor, assessing her injuries. "Wordy! Get in here. Jules needs a medic."

Wordy appeared in the cabin and immediately started to apply field bandages to Jules' leg and shoulder. Jules started to drift away, their voices sounding as if they were distant from her.

"Come on, Jules." Wordy said. "Stay with me." He used a penlight to check her eyes and noted that they were not responding as they should.

"Boss, she's in bad shape. We have to get her out of here." Wordy said.

"Copy that." Greg said. "Wordy, Spike, get her to EMS. Keep a watch for Ridinger."

Wordy carefully picked Jules up and carried her from the cabin. Spike joined them, and they began a retreat down the access road.

"Ramirez, alert EMS that we're coming out." Spike said. The world darkened, and Jules lost consciousness.

* * *

Ridinger moved below the cabin, heading towards the access near the rear of the cabin. He heard voices above and knew that the SRU had rescued Jules. He heard Sergeant Parker tell one of them to head for EMS.

Watching and listening, Ridinger knew it was a matter of time before the SRU found the trap door. He paused at the edge of the cabin, but saw no one. Quietly, he climbed out from beneath the cabin and started at a run for the nearby trees. He heard a shout behind him and knew that he had been spotted.

He ran through the trees, zig-zagging between the trunks. He saw a flash of light reflected off something to his right and ducked to his left. He ran, changing direction at random. His only thought was to shake his pursuers. Night was falling, and he knew he would have the advantage in the dark. Suddenly, an SRU member burst from the brush in front of him. He skidded to a stop in surprise, and then immediately ran to his right. _I must be close to the access road._ He thought. He knew he had to be careful for the trip wires he had scattered around the cabin to deter Jules from escaping. He turned to his left, and headed towards where he thought the ledge was. If he could get to it, he might be able to escape.

He barely noticed the sudden catch on his ankle when the grenade detonated and killed him.

* * *

An explosion rocked the night near the access road. Wordy and Spike dropped to the ground, Jules beneath them. They heard Greg call for a report on the team members. "Spike ok." Spike said. "Wordy ok."

Ed's voice came over the radio. "Suspect down. Looks like a trip wire."

Spike and Wordy looked at each other. They picked Jules up and continued heading down the access road to the EMS team, taking care to make sure they encountered no additional traps.

The paramedics met them at the end of the access road, their headlights illuminating the road. They immediately started working on Jules.

"Will she be ok?" Spike asked.

"She's lost a lot of blood and she's very dehydrated." The paramedic replied. "But it doesn't look like he hit any arteries." They continued to work on her, inserting IVs in to her arms to administer fluids.

"We have to go." The paramedic said. "Her best chance is for us to get her out of here and onto a Mediflight to Toronto."

"Go." Wordy said. "Take her to St. Joseph's."

"Will do." the paramedic replied. He closed the rear door of the ambulance, and his partner started backing down the access road. Wordy and Spike watched them retreat with Jules and then turned back towards the cabin.

Ed and Greg were coming back down the road.

"How is she?" Greg asked.

"She's in rough shape," Wordy replied, "but the paramedics think she's going to be all right. They are going to Mediflight her to St. Joes."

"OK. Well, let's head back. It's going to be a long ride."

The team members headed back to the SUVs to start the long ride back to Toronto. As they left, local uniformed police streamed into the site to secure it and search for evidence.


	13. Chapter 13

"Sam."

Sam heard his name being called. He woke slowly.

"Sam." It was Greg.

"Boss?" Sam replied sleepily.

"Sam, I'm sorry to wake you, but we have news."

Sam was awake in an instant. He looked at his boss, who was still wearing his uniform.

"Sam, we found Jules." Greg said. "She's here, in the ICU."

"How is she?"

"She's pretty banged up. Ridinger, the person who took you, worked her over with a knife." Sam started in reaction.

"She'll be ok. The doctors said he didn't hit any arteries or anything vital."

"Ridinger?" Sam asked after a moment.

"Dead. Caught in one of his own traps." Greg replied.

"Can I see her?" Sam asked.

"I think you might need to give it some time." Greg said. "You're in pretty rough shape yourself right now, and she's just out of surgery and hasn't woken yet."

"Ok." Sam said quietly.

"Sam, I'm going to leave you now. We have to debrief. I'll be back afterwards."

"Ok, boss." Greg turned for the door. "Boss?"

"Yeah Sam?"

"Thanks for getting her out."

Greg stood for a moment, looking at his young officer. Then nodded and left the room.

Sam stared at the ceiling for some time, thinking about the events of the last few days. He thought about Jules, and what she must have gone through after he was gone. Most of all, he thought about his team. His family. A tear slowly trickled down his cheek.

* * *

A few days later, Sam was transferred out of the ICU to a regular room. One day after that, he had managed to cajole one of the nurses to take him to see Jules. He was shocked to see her, lying pale beneath the bruises. There were bandages on her head and shoulder. The nurse left him there alone for a while.

He reached out and carefully took her hand. He brought his head down to his hand, and just thanked God that she was safe and with him again. He sat like that for a while, quietly holding her hand and listening to the sound of a television in the next room. His tears flowed again, this time out of relief that the one person he ever truly loved was here with him. He felt her hand tighten in his.

"Sam?" she asked in a quiet voice. Sam lifted his head to look at her.

"Shhh." Sam said. "I'm here."

Jules opened her eyes and looked at Sam. They gazed at each other, not saying anything for a long time. Finally, Jules broke the silence.

"Are you ok?" Jules asked.

"I will be, now that you are safe." Sam replied. "How do you feel?"

"Better," she said, "now that I'm out of there. Did they catch him?"

"His name was Darren Ridinger. He was a police officer on the bomb squad. During your rescue, he tripped a trap in the woods and was killed."

Jules breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't at large in the world.

"Sam, about that question..."

"Jules, it's ok." Sam said quickly. "I can wait until you're ready."

"Sam." Jules said. "When he separated us, he told me you were dead. That he had left you in the trunk of your car for dead. He believed that the SRU wouldn't find you in time."

Sam listened quietly. When she paused, he said "Jules, I'm ok. The best we can figure, they found me less than two hours later. I was in rough shape, but I pulled through."

"Sam, I lost you once already. Or believed I had. And it was nearly the end of me. I don't want to lose you again."

Sam held his breath.

"_Yes_." Jules said. Sam held Jules' hand a little tighter and wept openly. When he stopped, they sat together for some time, just talking quietly. The nurses brought Sam's dinner tray to him in the room, and they ate together.

After they had finished eating, the other members of Team One entered the room. Jules looked to them and smiled. Spike grinned broadly, and even Ed cracked a big smile.

"Hi guys." Jules said. Sam sat beside her bed in his wheelchair, also happy to see the team.

"Jules... How are you feeling?" Ed asked.

"Not bad, all things considering." Jules replied.

"Pretty rough couple of days." Greg said. Jules nodded carefully, pain still evident in her eyes.

"Sam told me Ridinger is dead." Jules said.

"Yes. Caught in one of his own traps during your rescue."

"He said it was my fault he didn't get onto the SRU, that his career had stalled, and that his wife wanted a divorce." Jules said. "He said he wanted me to pay for my crimes."

"Jules, we reviewed his file when we were looking for you." Greg replied. "He wasn't picked for the team because his psych profile indicated that he had anger issues. The fault was his own."

"How ironic." Spike said into the silence that followed Greg's statement.

The team members all looked at Spike in silence. The sound of the TV once again carried into the room. It was the speech from Shakespeare's Henry V.

_"... But we in it shall be remembered-  
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;  
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me  
Shall be my brother;..."_

"My brothers." Sam said, smiling at the team.

Jules smiled, quietly repeating Sam's sentiment as she looked at her teammates.

"My brothers."


End file.
